Athletes who train or participate in outdoor sporting activities often use water resistant garments to protect them from rain and other weather. For example, runners often wear water resistant jackets when running in the rain.
Current water protection garments typically include a tightly woven fabric with a durable water repellent (DWR) finish that repels water from the outer surface. In addition to the DWR finish, these fabrics also generally have a barrier technology in the form of a coating or film applied to the back side of the fabric. The barrier results in a monolithic or microporous sheet applied to the fabric that effectively has no open spaces. Accordingly, the barrier blocks substantially all rainwater and air from passing through the fabric. While some barriers have a hydrophilic or microporous quality that allows some small amount of moisture vapor to pass through the barrier, these garments still do not allow air to effectively move through the garment in a manner that provides significant “breathability” to the garment.
During low exertion when the athlete is not producing much sweat, and the athlete's body temperature is relatively low, the barrier on a traditional water-resistant garment will perform in an acceptable manner. However, during high exertion events, traditional barrier technologies cannot effectively manage internal heat and moisture output produced by the athlete. As a result, moisture condenses inside the garment in this heated environment, thus creating clamminess and discomfort for the athlete.
Various attempts have been made to provide a moisture resistant garment that also allows a substantial amount of air to pass through the garment such that it “breathes”. For example, rain jackets for runners may include an open mesh portion on the jacket to provide a vent for the runner which allows moisture and heat to escape the inside of the garment. Because rain may strike a runner from any direction, including the front, back and sides, a flap is often provided to at least partially cover the open mesh portion. While the flap may help to keep moisture from passing through the vent, the flap also tends to decrease the amount of air that can flow through the garment and generally reduces the breathability offered by the vent. Also, strong winds may tend to blow the flap open, thus allowing moisture to enter the garment through the open mesh portion.
In view of the foregoing, it would be desirable to provide a water-resistant garment having a venting arrangement that substantially blocks outside moisture from entering the interior of the garment in numerous weather conditions while also offering sufficient breathability for the garment.